Change is inevitable in sports. Fans learn to cope with changing rosters as their favorite players retire, transfer, or are lost to injury or contract situations. The same can be said for those who lead organizations.
It’s less common these days that teams will find their Nick Saban, Bill Belichick, or even Bob Lilley. Just like players, coaches move on after creating some amount of success during their tenure, or a lack thereof and are removed. Both UNM and New Mexico United found themselves looking for a new coach this season, both in relatively surprising moves. But now, after just a few short weeks of searching, both teams are poised to enter 2025 with new coaches leading the way.
UNM was stunned by the sudden departure of Bronco Mendenhall, who had come in before the 2024 football season. In his short time, Mendenhall turned around (not 100% mind you) a football program that had been hapless for many years. He left after narrowly missing out on a bowl berth and creating one of the best offenses in the NCAA before landing at Utah State University.
That change left incoming Vice President and Director of Athletics Fernando Lovo in a tight spot. How do you find the right man for the job?
In the world of college football, there’s always someone looking to make the leap from the high school ranks or even those of a graduate assistant to a coordinator or a head coaching position. There are even plenty of candidates looking to go from 1-AA (FCS) to 1-A (FBS). It was in the FCS that Lovo found his guy. The Idaho Vandals had come off of one of their best seasons since the mid ‘90s and third consecutive trip to the playoffs under Jason Eck.
Under his leadership, the Vandals went toe to toe with the likes of FBS schools Oregon and even beating Wyoming from the Mountain West. That was more than enough for Lovo. Eck’s hire has been touted as a great hire for the school and believed to be the right man to continue the rebuild. Eck will have his work cut out for him after 29 Lobos entered the transfer portal, the most of any FBS school. He will most likely bring some talent with him as they look forward to the future.
For New Mexico United, it wasn’t quite the same as a first year coach leaving, but it was close. After nearly 18 months at the helm, Eric Quill got the call from FC Dallas. He leaves behind him a club that set records during his tenure and plenty of people questioning whether United could keep a coach. While the move seemed sudden, there had been rumors that Quill would leave since before the end of the 2023 season.
At the time, FC Dallas wasn’t inclined to make a change, but did so in the middle of their 2024 season. United wisely inked Quill to an extension earlier in the fall, meaning that they would be compensated by the MLS side for poaching Quill. While the terms of that deal weren’t announced, it did set United up to do some poaching of their own.
Just 34 days after the departure of Quill, United made the announcement that they had found their guy. Thanks to the work of Itamar Keinan, Ron Patel, and Peter Trevisani, the fourth head coach in United’s history would be Dennis Sanchez.
Sanchez comes to United after spending the 2024 campaign, his first as a head coach, with Las Vegas Lights FC. Prior to being handed the reins, he spent time at Austin FC II (MLSNP), Charleston Battery, Sacramento Republic, and Columbus Crew of MLS. He’s invested a great deal into the academy at every stop along his coaching journey, which will be a welcomed trait by the United supporters. While in Vegas, Sanchez led the club to a 31-point improvement over 2023 and their first ever playoff trip, which included a win over United at The Lab.
Sanchez has certainly shown that he understands The Lab, his club having beaten United twice on their home pitch. Stylistically, he should be similar to Quill, but has shown that he can adapt under different circumstances. With a returning core of players, Sanchez will have quite the starting block to get out of, and high expectations for this season. It will be hard for United to improve upon their best season in club history, but if Sanchez can bring some stability and a few more players on board, this could be another exciting year for United.